A Year and a Day of Everyday Witchcraft, page 11
try this: Place an offering on your altar or outside under a tree.
May 30
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a US federal holiday dedicated to honoring those who died while serving in the military. The roots of the holiday go back as far as the Civil War. People decorate the graves of fallen soldiers, often with flowers or flags. In some areas of the country, families use this day to clear off and clean a family member’s grave site and then picnic together afterward.
What does this day have to do with witches and Pagans? Just ask Roberta Stewart, the widow of Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who died in Afghanistan during Desert Storm. In the early 2000s she fought for years (with the help of notable Pagans such as Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary) for the right to have a pentacle carved on her husband’s tombstone—a right which they eventually won for other Pagans as well.
Pagans in the military have a tough time since many of them feel the need to keep their beliefs secret, despite the official acceptance of Wiccan and Paganism as official religions. It is not unusual for witches and Pagans serving in the military to feel isolated, although organizations such as Circle Sanctuary practice active outreach and support, sending books and other supplies to our service people.
try this: On Memorial Day as you remember our honored dead, also do what you can to support those still alive and away from home. Contribute to one of these organizations or find a more personal way to reach out, such as sending a card.
May 31
Prayer for the Dead
Here is a simple prayer for the dead:
Goddess
Watch over those we have lost
Let them know that they are still in our hearts
And in our minds
That they are not forgotten
That they are loved
That they live on
With every breath we take
And every heartbeat
Always and forever
Loved
try this: Say this prayer on Memorial Day or any other time you feel the need to remember someone you have lost.
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June 1
Writing Spells
Many people don’t feel comfortable writing their own spells. There’s nothing wrong with that, and there are plenty of books out there filled with ones you can use. But sometimes there is an issue that needs your own special touch or you may not be in a position to track down just the right one in a book or online, so it is a good idea to know the basics of how to construct your own.
First of all, understand that there is no One Right Way. In truth, as long as you speak from the heart and be honest with yourself and the gods, you will be fine. At its most basic, a spell or ritual is a way to reach out to deity/the universe and ask for help, and everyone is capable of doing that.
Here are the basics: Figure out your goal for the spell. Try to find a way to word your spell that is specific but also leaves the gods leeway to give you what you need in ways that you may not have thought of. Follow up on your spell with action. The gods help those who help themselves.
Don’t worry too much about whether or not you are using the proper form or if your spell rhymes. Some of mine do, and some don’t. I assure you, the gods don’t care about that stuff. Just use the words that feel right to you, and you’ll be just fine.
try this: Write a spell today—any spell; it doesn’t matter what for. Consider it practice. You might be better at it than you think.
June 2
Juno
As we move into the month of June, known for its weddings, what better goddess to look at than Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, after whom the month is named? Juno is the queen of the gods, married to Jupiter; their Greek counterparts were Hera and Zeus. She is also known for her protection of women and children, and a festival was held in her honor around this date.
Juno is symbolized by peacocks and their feathers, by extravagant garments (befitting a queen), and by the moon, silver, and figs. If you plan to be married soon and want to ask for her blessing, offer up some fresh figs on the night of the full moon. If you are a woman in need of strength or protection, ask for her help and try to channel some of her indomitable energy. Hang a peacock feather over your altar in her honor if you want her to watch over your married life.
try this: Set up an altar to Juno
for the month of June.
June 3
“A Fairy Song”
I confess, I am a big Shakespeare fan. I don’t know if that’s because I majored in Theater and was an English teacher or if those things happened in part because I loved Shakespeare. All I know is that I started reading him before I was in high school, and I am still enamored of his writing. In a month when we celebrate the Fair Folk, we have to include a poem by the man who wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green,
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dewdrops here
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
(William Shakespeare, 1595)
try this: Go outside and recite this poem for the fairies. See if you can sense a response.
June 4
Pearls and Mother-of-Pearl
Speaking of pearls, the pearl is the June birthstone. Yes, I know pearls aren’t actually stones. Don’t blame me; I don’t make this stuff up.
Pearls are associated with the moon, no doubt because of their appearance, which can resemble a miniature full moon. They also are used in magic for love, protection, and luck. Don’t worry if you can’t afford an expensive pearl necklace, since the less expensive freshwater pearls and mother-of-pearl (which I love for its shimmer) have the same basic magical attributes.
In Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic Scott Cunningham wrote that he didn’t like to use pearls because they only could be harvested by killing the oysters that contain them. I’m not sure I find that to be an issue for me (I’ll eat an oyster if it is cooked right), but I can see his point about not wanting to do magic with something that came from that kind of source. What do you think?
try this: If you have a pearl necklace or earrings, consecrate them for magical work and wear them on the full moon or when you need to do magic for one of the things they’re good for.
June 5
Handfastings
There is nothing more uplifting than watching two people who love each other join themselves together in a sacred union—unless it is actually taking part in such a ritual. I have been fortunate enough to do that a number of times, officiating at the weddings or handfastings of a number of couples, including one of the members of Blue Moon Circle.
Handfastings are a Pagan wedding ceremony, and they can vary from the extremely simple (a couple and a few of their friends, with very little ritual) to something as ornate as any mundane wedding. They often include specifically Pagan touches such as jumping the broom, binding the wrists together (the “hand fastening” the name comes from), and lighting a unity candle. Sometimes they are also legal weddings and sometimes they aren’t.
Some handfastings are made for “as long as we both shall live,” just like a more traditional wedding, while others are for “a year and a day.” Either way they are a celebration of love, and it doesn’t get better than that.
try this: If you are planning to get married or know someone who is, see if there are Pagan touches that can be integrated into the ceremony. Over the years the church has adopted many ritual actions, so odds are that no one will even notice.
June 6
The Chalice
My circle is blessed to have a special chalice handcrafted by one of the members, who is a potter. She brought it to us before it was fired, and we all helped to draw symbols on the clay. It holds a place of honor on my altar, and we use it for all our rituals.
You don’t necessarily need to go to these lengths with your own chalice, but you probably want to pick out something special. After all, the chalice is not only a cup to hold the wine or whatever you use during the cakes and ale part of ritual, it represents the Goddess herself (in the same way the athame represents the God).
One of the most touching and powerful moments I have seen in Wiccan rituals is the symbolic joining of God and Goddess using a chalice and an athame. The high priest (or equivalent) holds the athame over the chalice, held by the high priestess, and they say the following:
hps: As the chalice is to the female, so the athame is to the male.
hp: Let it be known that no man is greater than a woman…
hps: Nor woman greater than a man.
hps: For what one lacks, the other can give.
hp (lowering the athame into the chalice) recites with the hps: And when they are joined it is magic in truth—for there is no greater magic in the world than love.
try this: Create your own special chalice by making one yourself, drawing on a glass goblet with special pens, or commissioning one from a local artist.
June 7
Unconventional Gifts
If you attend a handfasting (or any other celebration featuring primarily witches and Pagan folk), it is likely to be a somewhat unconventional gathering. So consider giving an unconventional gift.
Obviously, you want the gift to suit the occasion and the recipient, but this is a great opportunity to think outside the box. If the occasion is a handfasting, perhaps the gift is a new broom or a basket full of magical supplies that the couple can use together. Maybe matching chalices and a bottle of locally produced mead? For a new couple with a house or a new baby, gift a tree or bush that will grow along with the one to whom it is given.
Gifts that symbolize nature in some way (beeswax candles, seeds, handcrafted items) or witchy-themed goodies can be as fun to receive as they are to give. If you are giving to a couple who are both Pagans, items for the home or altar are always welcome.
If the recipient is a foodie and a witch, what about a gift basket full of ingredients for a magical dish? For the crafty witch, gather all the components necessary to create a magical craft project. The point is, you don’t have to settle for something mundane.
try this: For your next special occasion, come up with a gift that is as special and delightful as the person it is for. Find some way to make it magical!
June 8
Gratitude No. 3:
A List of Six Things
Here we are, almost halfway through the year already. How the heck did that happen? Has it been a good year so far? Are you achieving what you’d hoped to or do you struggle to make a dent in your list of goals?
Either way, it is always a good idea to pause and count your blessings, no matter how many challenges you face. Since we’re in the sixth month, your exercise in gratitude is to come up with six things you are grateful for this year.
Here’s my list so far: family, friends, cats, a job I love (most days), the ability to be creative, and the strength to keep moving forward.
See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now, what are you grateful for?
try this: If you really want to challenge yourself, make a new list every day this month, and don’t duplicate—find six additional things to add every day. You might be surprised to discover just how much there is to be grateful for in your life.
June 9
Strawberry Celebration
I love to celebrate special occasions with special food, but I don’t always have time to create an elaborate dish. If you’re going to have a party, a post-ritual feast, or you need to bring something to contribute to a handfasting, an easy summer dessert that everyone loves is this variation on strawberry shortcake.
All you need are some fresh strawberries (organic is best), an angel food cake (or any other kind of cake you feel like making), and some homemade whipped cream. Make the whipped cream (seriously, this is so easy: all you need is some whipping cream and an electric beater, and you beat the cream until it is frothy). Add a bit of sugar or chocolate if you like, or add a drop of peppermint oil if you want to give it a touch of prosperity magic.
Slice the cake in half the long way, so you have a bottom half and a top half. Fill the middle with the strawberries and whipped cream, then top with more of both.
try this: For a special touch, add mint leaves or edible flowers or a sprinkle of shaved chocolate.
June 10
Air Element Meditation
The element of air is all around us, but because it is invisible it is easy to ignore. Yet it is absolutely vital (try breathing without it) and can be as powerful as a hurricane. Here is a simple meditation to help you connect with the element.
Sit where it is quiet. If possible, do this meditation outside or near an open window where you can feel the breeze. If you want, light a yellow candle or burn some sweet-smelling incense.
Close your eyes. Feel the air on your skin. Its presence is subtle, but it is always there. Take a deep breath. Feel the air entering your body, bringing with it oxygen to energize you and keep you alive. Blow it back out slowly, feeling the air you create with your breath.
Think of the forms that air can take: a gentle breeze, a gusty wind that cools you down when it is hot, the power of tornados and hurricanes that can topple buildings and pull down trees. Think about the mutability of air and how unpredictable it can be. Ponder the way air carries smells with it—good smells, like cooking or freshly mown grass; less appetizing smells, like skunk or garbage—and yet, it also takes air to carry those smells away again.
Air is the quietest element, as subtle as a feather, but without it none of the other elements matter.
try this: Take a moment to breathe in and out, making the air a part of your own body, and thank it for always being there for you.
June 11
Bees
We have a bee crisis. Huge populations of bees are dying off, almost certainly because of humans using pesticides.
If a pesky bee and its friends have ever bothered you at a picnic, you may not think this crisis is a big deal—you might even be grateful. But bees are truly magical creatures, and they provide a vital service in the chain of life. Bees are pollinators. When they collect nectar (the basis of honey) from plants, they also incidentally transfer pollen (a fine powder that male plants make) to female flowers, which allows those plants to reproduce. Without bees, we will not only lose the beautiful flowers they buzz around, we could lose most of our food. Yikes.
Bees and the honey they make have always been used in magical work. They symbolize prosperity, fertility, sexuality, healing, love, happiness, energy, wisdom, and purification. Honey not only tastes sweet, but it can be used to heal wounds and, of course, mead can be made from it. That’s a lot of miracles from one little bee!
try this: The next time you see a bee hovering around your picnic, set aside a bit of something for it and say thank you. Plant flowers and herbs they like to attract them to your house.
June 12
The Drum
You may not think of drums as a magical tool, but shamans and other spirit workers have used them since the dawn of humanity. They mimic the sound of the human heartbeat and promote a light trance state during ritual. They also bring people together.
Blue Moon Circle sometimes does drumming in ritual—often enough that I have an entire collection of drums, all handmade by local craftspeople. We drum to build energy into a spell and then send it out into the universe. I’ve also taken part in some large drum circles, and they can be quite remarkable.
Don’t worry about being “good” at it or whether or not you can keep the rhythm. For this kind of drumming, those things just don’t matter. And you don’t have to be part of a group to drum either.
try this: Take a drum outside under the full moon and let your heart beat in time with the Goddess’s. Inside works, too, if you can’t go out.
June 13
Gerald Gardner
Today is the birthday of Gerald Gardner, arguably the father of modern witchcraft. While there is much debate about the validity of some of his claims, there is no question that Gardner was pivotal in the creation of what we now call Wicca. In 1951 England finally repealed their laws against witchcraft. Gardner formed his own coven, followed by the publication of his book Witchcraft Today, in 1954.
Gardner knew and was influenced by such famous figures as Margaret Murray (author of The Witch-Cult in Western Europe) and Aleister Crowley. He was the founder of Gardnerian witchcraft, which formed the basis of much of the organized Wiccan covens that followed soon after.
Things have changed a lot since Gardner’s days. Many of us have chosen paths that are very different from the hierarchical mystical system he used (although some still use it and variations on it). But whatever path we walk, those first stones were laid by him, so it is with great respect and appreciation that we celebrate his birthday today.
try this: Light a candle on your altar and wish Gerald Gardner a happy birthday. If you’re not familiar with him or his work, go read up about him.
June 14
Fairies
These days when we talk about fairies, people are likely to envision cute little winged creatures flitting about and sipping nectar from flowers. Um, no. Not really.
